


Familiarity Breeds Contempt

by Obsidian_Operative



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:54:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27226123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsidian_Operative/pseuds/Obsidian_Operative
Summary: Chaucer gives Garak something to contemplate.
Relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	Familiarity Breeds Contempt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Syaunei](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syaunei/gifts).



> Happy Birthday my Dear!!

There were times, mused Garak, when he despaired of the literary capabilities of the Human species. 

On this particular occasion, he was lying in bed, staring at an area of the ceiling and, indeed, had been staring at that same area for the past hour or so. He was suffering from one of his infrequent, but no less annoying, bouts of insomnia, when his brain refused to allow him any peace and instead insisted on dredging through the highly compartmentalised areas of his reptilian brain, dragging out issues from the distant past, dusting them off and then shaking them in front of his eyes like some sort of power-obsessed teacher tearing a strip off a pupil for getting ink blots on its homework.

Of course, the good Doctor had made suggestions to try to help him get through these moments, suggesting that he tried some other activity, such as reading, to make his mind calm down and hopefully allow sleep to follow… He sighed and reached out to the small table beside the bed, fumbling for the padd and cursing fluently in a mixture of Kardassi and Terran as several items toppled and rolled, falling to the floor in a series of gentle thuds and, in the case of the glass of water, a rather unpleasant splash.

On the insistence of the good Doctor, he had tried reading a different Terran writer and had been quite enthusiastic about it when he realised that he wasn't being asked to read and critique yet another of those predictably trite creations by the one known as "The Bard"… No... this time he had been urged to read a series of works from further back in Terran history and, because he could no more say "No" to Julian than he could resist a box of Delavian chocolates, he had accepted the padd with a look which bordered on the besotted, and promised to give it a go. 

His enthusiasm had dwindled slightly when he had opened the padd-book that afternoon in his shop and had been confronted by words which made him wonder whether the padd had malfunctioned in some way, but when switching it off and on again several times and trying a bit of percussive maintenance failed to rectify the problem, he was forced to draw the conclusion that this was how it was meant to be. It was strange… The words almost made sense but not quite… Fortunately, the dear Doctor had happened by the shop and, upon further discussion, it was revealed that the padd was not malfunctioning, but that the book was written in what Julian had casually described as "Middle English", and a few judicious alterations to the padd had resulted in a correct translation of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" alongside the original which would, at least, make it easier to read. 

All had seemed to go well until Garak had got to the current 'tale', which had left him wondering what the author had been trying to accomplish… It was entitled " _The Tale of Melibee_ " and, in so far as Garak could ascertain, seemed to consist of a string of proverbs and sayings all stitched loosely together in the form of rather stilted dialogue. He knew that Humans seemed to set great store by their proverbs, but he had never seen so many crammed into a single work… Perhaps the author should be admired for his fortitude… Garak read on, hoping for respite in the form of sleep, but alas that continued to elude him and after 30 minutes he was still ploughing resolutely through the work and plotting in the back of his mind as to which Cardassian epic he could force dear Julian to read by way of revenge. It was at that point that a line seemed to jump out from the page and cause him to pause and think.

_For right as men seyn that `over-greet hoomlynesse engendreth dispreisynge…'_ which the translation interpreted as _' For just as men say that `over-great familiarity engenders contempt,'_

Engenders contempt?

Familiarity was, in general terms, not something that Garak had ever allowed himself the luxury of experiencing. Familiarity of any sort was a foolish notion which, in the case of any operatives functioning within a certain _Order_ , was likely to result in a severe curtailment of several important things, for example, breathing… So it had been prudent to avoid familiarity, especially certain aspects of it… A rule which he had steadfastly managed to abide by… until the day that a tall, willowy, gold-skinned young Human doctor had drifted into his emotionally sterile life.

Since that day, he had to admit that he had become more than familiar with a great number of things pertaining to that person… His boundless enthusiasm for a start. A personality trait which, Garak knew, often alienated the Human from other members of staff on DS9. They had mostly initially seemed keen to engage with the doctor in conversation, but inevitably their initial interest had seemed to wane to a point where Garak had noticed rolled eyes at the mention of certain subjects and even the employment of rapidly concocted excuses to terminate conversations, leaving the doctor sitting in bemused confusion, staring at the fast disappearing back of a fellow crew member. Garak frowned at the thought and shrugged. He always found the doctor's conversations to be fascinating… his arguments stimulating… both mentally and, he had to admit, physically… He stared wistfully at the padd and shook his head to get his mind back onto the point… 

His compassion. That was another thing with which he had become very familiar and, _By the State_ , the good Doctor had compassion for everything, even at times for ailing and exceptionally cranky Cardassians. At one time, Garak would have deemed this a weakness to be lumped in with sentimentality; would have poured scorn on it and mocked the very idea. Now, however, he could see that it was a strength. To maintain compassion even for those classed as enemies took something special… 

And then there were all the more personal 'familiarities' which had evolved during the development of their relationship… Little things which were specifically familiar to him and no one else… The way his brow would furrow with concentration as he attempted to lead Garak down a particular path during one of ' _those_ ' arguments where their verbal sparring had one single ulterior motive, and the lop-sided grin of delight when he realised that he had successfully worked his Cardassian lover into a state of argumentative frenzy… The smouldering look which spoke louder than any words and which never failed to make Garak's knees feel weak and his scales to tingle with need… The feel of his body… his scent… his taste… The soft sighs and plaintive whimpers that he always made during their love making… the gentle flush of his skin as he came closer to that abyss of pleasure… and the way he always cried his name at that moment…

Contempt? Pffft.

Garak huffed… and turned to look fondly down at the form sleeping beside him, unable to resist reaching a cool, grey finger out to stroke gently across exposed collar bones and to brush the scar on his shoulder. The figure stirred, hazel eyes opening and blinking sleepily up at him.

"Hmmm? Is everything all right, am'Arad?"

Garak simply smiled, leaning forward to brush warm, perfect lips with his own…

"Everything is perfectly fine, husband mine… go back to sleep…"

Garak carefully replaced the padd on the table and snuggled down into the bed, wrapping his arms around a slender, warm, gold-skinned body and giving a soft rumble of contentment…

And, finally, Garak slept.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Pixiesnix for checking and encouraging!


End file.
